


A Mother To Be

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 22:22:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9924509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: In which Dick and Bruce receive a phone call from Kory, who has a request.





	

**Author's Note:**

> just because it kinda made me laugh and also I actually want it. I haven’t read a word of Rebirth Teen Titans, and things like Tim dead and Shawn dating aren’t a thing. Damian’s road to 1000000000 parents starts with me. I doubt this will be a series/au but oh well. Who knows.

Dick heard the phone ring while he was in the kitchen. Heard Bruce answer it in his study while he was grabbing the cereal and milk. The perk of a quick stop at home – Alfred always kept their favorites fully stocked.

And he was munching happily away, already planning out his day – training in the cave, lunch with Barbara, maybe a movie or two later with Tim if he was available – when Bruce came into the kitchen, phone held up, but awkwardly far away from his ear.

Dick watched him for a moment. Watched emotions flash across his face. Confusion, possessiveness, disbelief, anger, then back to confusion.

“What?” Dick asked with a full mouth. “Something wrong with the company?”

“…No.” Bruce said slowly, like he was still processing some sort of information. He walked towards the table and suddenly – held the phone out to Dick. “I…You need to speak to your girlfriend.”

Dick choked on the food in his mouth. “What?! Bruce, I don’t have a-”

“Starfire.” Bruce corrected. “Koriand’r. Sorry, I…I forgot. You two aren’t together anymore.”

“What’s wrong?” Dick asked, taking the phone. “Is everything o-”

“She said she wants to adopt Damian.”

Dick froze, staring down at the phone. “ _What_.”

“I…I don’t know.” Bruce turned rigidly away. And Dick doesn’t think he’d ever seen Bruce so caught off guard before. “You…deal with her.”

Dick watched him walk out of the room before practically slamming the phone to the side of his head. “Kory?!”

She sounded almost smug. Almost. “Hello.”

“Kory, what…” Dick breathed, mind going almost blank. So he reverted to his typical line of questioning. “What’s going on? Is Damian okay? And the Titans?”

“He’s fine. Sleeping, right now. I believe he caught a bit of a cold while we were in Greenland, but I’ve taken care of it.” Kory listed off. “The others are in the game room, I think.”

“Oh. O-okay…” Dick sputtered. “Kory…Bruce just…”

“I know. I heard him tell you. Also, I apologize.” And then she… _laughed_.

“Apologize?”

“I heard him call me your girlfriend. I…Hm. I just think that’s funny.” She continued to laugh. “But, also – I meant what I said, Dick.”

“About adoption. You want to adopt Damian.” Dick repeated, as if the more he said it the more untrue it’d be. “You want to adopt my brother. _You want to adopt Batman’s son.”_

No hesitation. “Yes.”

“And have…” He didn’t know what to say. “Have you told Damian about this?”

“Of course not.” She returned. “I wanted to speak to Bruce about it first.”

“I don’t think he’ll…I mean, Bruce won’t…he’s…they…” Dick stopped, sucked in a breath. “ _Why_?”

“Because we are similar, in our emotions and our causes. And alone. I can relate to his struggles.” Kory explained. “And I…care for him. I want to help him.”

And Dick knew Kory’s emotions ruled her, but still: “But _adopting_ him?!”

She simply said: “He needs a family.”

“He _has_ one.” Dick almost spat without meaning to, feeling his own possessiveness flair. “He has Bruce. He has _me_.  God, Kor, call up Jason, he’ll tell you the same damn-”

“Then where were you?” Kory snapped back. “When his grandfather was going to harm him – where were you? When he was struggling to find his place so badly, he had to kidnap myself and the other Titans for friendship?”

Dick didn’t respond. He…he didn’t know about all this. When did this happen?

Kory didn’t give him the chance to ask. “Batman only showed up when the battle was over, and used the opportunity to _berate_ him. And when I informed _your brother_ of how often you speak of him to me, he was _surprised_. Like he didn’t know how fond you were of him.”

“Am. How fond I _am_. Don’t use that past tense on me, Kory.” Dick huffed. “Kory – you can’t. I’m sorry, but you can’t adopt Damian.”

“And who said you had a say?” Kory returned with fake surprise. “As I said – I called to talk to Bruce. Not _you_.”

And that hurt. Just like Kory knew it would.

“Fine. _Fine_. So you don’t want to talk to me about this, whatever.” Dick rolled his eyes. “But, Kory, you do know it’s not just Bruce you have to talk to…”

“Yes, I’ve already spoken to Talia. We ran into her in Greenland.” Kory hummed. “She also said I could not adopt Damian, but she did agree I was a much better caretaker than you or Batman, and agreed he could stay with me while not with her.”

“She _what_.”

“In fact, she may have contacted her lawyer about custody papers, but I am unsure about all that.”

“Kory, please, you can’t-” Dick almost whined. “I- I’m coming there, okay? I’m grabbing Bruce, and I’m coming there, and we’ll even call Talia but…but we are _talking this out_. Okay?”

Kory just hummed.

“ _Kory_.” Dick hissed. “This…this isn’t fair. You…you _know_ how much I love that kid.”

“Just as I know how much you loved me, and look what happened to us.” She didn’t say it harshly, just as a fact. “And like I said, I feel that Damian and I are…similar.” Angry now. “And I will _not_ let you do to him what you did to me.”

“Kor, that’s different. You _know_ that’s different.” Dick pleaded. “But just…just stay there, okay? We’re on our way. We’ll talk this out.”

“Different, but similar enough.” Kory countered. “And fine. I will wait here for you.”

“And don’t worry, I don’t expect to see him. In fact, it might be better if Damian _doesn’t_ know we’re coming. For now, anyway.” Dick rushed from the kitchen, taking the stairs to his room two at a time.

“I agree. I don’t plan to tell the others either.” Kory murmured. “Oh, but could you do me a favor? Bring the dog and the cat. He talks about them often. And with him planning on being here more than Gotham, it’d probably be better for their bond if they were here with him and Goliath.”

“Who said he was planning on spending more time with the Titans than here?”

“He did. He told me that weeks ago.” Kory said. Then that smugness was back. “Did he not mention it to you?’

“No.” Dick grumbled as he passed Bruce’s study. Bruce was inside, staring at the family portrait they’d had done a few years prior. “Bruce, did Damian tell you he’d be spending more time with the Titans than here?”

Bruce looked heartbroken, as he glanced over at him. “No.”

“Imagine that.” Kory hummed.

Dick grit his teeth. “Kory, we’re on our way.”

“I will be here.” Kory agreed. “But – Dick?”

“What.”

“You know…I just want you to know. I’m not doing this out of spite, or to hurt you or Batman or anyone else.” Kory’s voice was soft now, and thoughtful. (One of Dick’s favorite sounds, and that nostalgia for her was going to kill him one day.) “I just know what it’s like to be betrayed by family, and abandoned. To be alone, and feel unloved. And I care for him, Dick. Truly, I do. I’m only taking this course of action because, based on the evidence, I care for him more than you. Than _any_ of you.” She paused, and sighed, as if suddenly tired. “…He’s a good person. I only want to save him from the pain I suffered, if at all possible.”

And it was hard to say, but: “I know, Star.”

“…Good.” And Dick could practically see her nodding. “Please bring Titus and Alfred, and their favorite toys.”

The line clicked, and Dick could only look up at Bruce in agony.


End file.
